Price Chopper Details Plans for New Concept Store

Price Chopper Supermarkets unveiled plans to build a multi-faceted new concept store in Latham (NY) that will combine a variety of fresh, made-to-order food service offers – both trendy and classic - with a robust state-of-the-art supermarket featuring multiple new offerings and amenities. The soon-to-be named Price Chopper concept store has been in the planning stages since before July 2010 news coverage confirmed that substantial square footage adjacent to the existing Latham Super Center had been leased to accommodate expansion. It will be the first of its kind in Price Chopper’s six-state, 130-store footprint, and is unquestionably the most ambitious project ever undertaken by the hometown chain. “We intend to make this the store against which all other supermarkets in the area will be judged,” said Price Chopper’s Executive Chairman of the Board, Neil Golub. “Each of the concepts that we’ll be previewing here has been designed to add distinctive and dynamic new dimension to the marketplace.” The new concept store will incorporate an additional 10,000 square feet into the store’s current 80,000 square foot layout and entail a complete remodel from one end of the building to the other. The most notable new feature will be a multi-faceted, full-service culinary offer in the form of 16 themed, fast-casual/cooked-fresh-to-order dining experiences, accompanied by in-store seating for 140 guests and seasonal outdoor seating. Among the moderately priced dining areas will be a Ben & Bill’s NYC-Style deli; a Chef’s Grill where a variety of specialty dishes - from steak to mussels to seafood to antipasto - will be prepared fresh for each guest; a Mexican themed restaurant featuring international flavors; a classic pizzeria, a meat rotisserie offering succulent pork and beef, in addition to poultry; an old-fashioned sub shop; a New England style fish fry restaurant, and a full-service salad and vegetarian/vegan bar, just to name a few. Other specialty restaurant concepts still being finalized will be unveiled in the coming months. Also planned are a complete cooking school in which local/regional and national chefs and specialty instructors will teach recipes, techniques, trends and meal solutions for classes, parties and special events, the growing and harvesting of some fresh produce right in the store, and the building of a drive-through pharmacy. Planning for the new concept store began in 2009 when Price Chopper decided to lease the adjacent space formerly occupied by Bon Ton. Construction is expected to begin within the next 60 days and will take 12-14 months to complete. The current store will remain open throughout construction. In addition to this centerpiece investment in the Capital Region, Price Chopper also unveiled plans to renovate eight other stores over the next two years, bringing the company’s total capital investment in the community to $61 million. This comes on top of a four-year $46 million renovation campaign that expanded and updated 11 other stores across the region between 2008 and 2012. In total, nearly $90 million will have been invested in Capital Region Price Choppers. “The Capital Region has always been our hometown, so we’ve known for a long time that this is a great place to live, work and do business. This major investment, with our new concept store as the centerpiece, reflects our ongoing commitment to our hometown and to our customers,” said Jerry Golub, Price Chopper’s president and chief executive officer.